Federal court rejects Snipes' appeal in tax case

View full sizeKRAPESnipes was convicted in 2008 on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file income tax returns

ATLANTA — A federal appeals court in Atlanta has turned away the latest attempt by actor Wesley Snipes to get his conviction and prison sentence on tax charges overturned.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Tuesday rejected the appeal by Snipes, who was convicted in 2008 on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file income tax returns.

Defense lawyers contended they received two emails from former jurors who reported misconduct among other members of the panel. But the court held that it wasn’t “strong, substantial and incontrovertible evidence” that would warrant a new trial.

Snipes started a three-year term in a Pennsylvania prison in December. He’s appeared in dozens of films, from “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Demolition Man” in the early 1990s to the blockbuster Blade trilogy.